Team Two
by DreamingOfInk
Summary: Hatake Kakashi; prodigy, deadly assassin, and renowned loner has been given his most difficult mission yet, turning three preteen girls into halfway decent shinobi. (AKA Kakashi trains an all girls team from team Gai's graduating class). OC- centric
1. Prologue: The Taste of Vengeance

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Author Note: This story is OC-centric but I hope they are well rounded and interesting. I'm always looking to improve so please review with your thoughts. All feedback is welcome.

Prologue: The Taste of Vengeance

Revenge tasted like aspirin and sake but oh how sweet it was.

Yuna had given up, resigned herself to snot-nosed kids and filthy spitballs, to lecturing on chakra control and flower arranging. Condemned to life in the living hell of being a sensei at Konoha academy. Then the files appeared. Like a miracle. Three little miracles, perfectly crafted to destroy Hatake Kakashi. She could still feel the shame and embarrassment of that day. She'd been young, hopeful, and naive enough to think a jerk like Hatake was actually capable of human emotions like love. But despite her hope and optimism, the bento and confession had been rejected. Publicly. Thrown in her face. Publicly. With the skill of a prodigy making it look like her own fault. Publicly. Her reputation? In shreds. Her special jounin application? Rejected. Her ANBU aspirations? Laughed at. All respect for her has a kunoichi? Gone. Highly effective assassins didn't make sushi shaped like their crush's face after all. Sexist pig-headed fools.

But these three files would make Kakashi feel her pain. He would be destroyed. Tortured. Humiliated and it would be oh so public. A smirk crawled across Yuna'a face as she looked down at the three academy files carefully splayed across her desk. They were different from the official files each jounin sensei would receive. More focused on personality than the packets on family background and exact grades that the Hokage gave each new sensei. Jounin didn't generally care about or respect the warnings and evaluations of chunin concerning exactly the sort of demons they were handing over to them. Kakashi wouldn't realize his fate until it was too late.

 **Kimiko Mochizuki**

Blood type: AB positive

Mother: Akira Mochizuki… Civilian waitress at the Akimichi owned Oiishi BBQ and Grill

Father: Unknown

Chakra-control: Average

Taijutsu: Average

Ninjutsu: Average

Genjutsu: Above-average with a high probability of a natural affinity

Personal notes: Overly sarcastic with an intense and sometimes violent distrust of all authority figures. This student should be handled with care, all condescension will lead to disrespect, rebellion, and continuous verbal assaults on your person. A strict and attentive sensei is recommended to curtail these bad habits.

 **Maya Yoshida**

Blood type: A positive

Mother: Moriko Yoshida… Civilian housewife

Father: Takuya Yoshida… Civilian owner and chef of the Delectable Dango stand

Chakra-control: Below average

Taijutsu: Slightly above average

Ninjutsu: Slightly below Average

Genjutsu: Below average due to difficulty with chakra-control

Personal notes: An overall cheerful disposition though outspoken at times. This student has a highly concerning obsession with Neji Hyuuga. A female sensei is recommended to help this student sort through her priorities and emotions as to not endanger herself or potential teammates in the field. Please also note that this student has never arrived at class before the bell and frequently fails to arrive at class at all, discipline has proved ineffective in correcting this behavior.

 **Zori Hisakawa**

Blood type: O negative

Mother: Kumiko Hisakawa… Civilian mathematics teacher at Konoha's civilian academy

Father: Kurou Hisakawa… Konoha genin currently assigned to the record halls

Chakra-control: Below average

Taijutsu: Below average

Ninjutsu: Below average

Genjutsu: Significantly below average

Personal notes: Good natured and exceptionally adept at perceiving others' emotional states. This student has demonstrated no real disposition to be a ninja and their motivation for becoming such is unclear. Their self-confidence has suffered greatly due to the cruelty of their peers and this particular class's gravitation towards mockery and isolation of under performing students. Placement on a support based team or medical apprenticeship recommended if skills can be brought up to par. Otherwise a civilian lifestyle is recommended for this student.

Skill wise the three were nothing special. A bit lackluster really. Most Jounin would probably dismiss them as lifelong cannon fodder but Hatake wouldn't. He couldn't. That heartless excuse for a human was physically incapable of doing so because of two simple words carefully printed at the bottom of each file; "Perfect Teamwork". There was no way these three would fail Kakashi's infamous and poorly contrived bell test. And once they passed Kakashi would have no shield to protect him from the horrors of turning three 12 year old girls into halfway decent shinobi whilst they traversed the wonderful invention which was puberty.

Yuna took another swig of sake and began crafting the most beautiful logical sounding BS genin team proposal in the history of Konoha.

Oh, the sweet taste of justice.


	2. Wait for it……

Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto.

Chapter 1: Wait for it…

Drat. How the kage did this always happen to her! She'd woken up _early_ for goodness sakes. She must have been some massively anal-retentive jerk in her past life or something for the universe to be this dead set against her being on time. Why couldn't this have been the one day things went as planned?

"Come on Maya you can do this," She chanted as she dodged around another pedestrian in her mad dash towards the academy. She couldn't be late. Not today. Not anymore than she already was.

She cursed as an old man proceeded to trip in front of her spilling his groceries across the street.

Seriously, why did the universe hate her.

For a brief moment she contemplating vaulting over him like the ninja she was and finishing her sprint to team assignments. It would be so easy. So expected. So freaking reasonable.

Instead, Maya skid to a stop.

"You OK?" She asked kneeling to gather the scattered produce in her arms.

"I've been better," The elderly man huffed as he began to pick himself up. His well-worn face, filled with wrinkled scars, reddened from the effort.

Maya quickly offered a hand to help. Carefully not spilling the vegetables in her arms as she did so. _OK, now just give him back his groceries and get going_ she reminded herself.

"Do you need help getting these home?"

Seriously, what in the world was wrong with her?

"I'm fine. I'm sure a young girl like you has better things to do,"

Say you _want_ to help but you're already running late for the _most important_ day of your life.

"I don't have anything,"

Something was seriously _wrong_ with her.

"Well if you're sure,"

"It's no problem,"

Maybe she was cursed?

"Such a nice girl," He complimented as he hobbling towards home with Maya in tow.

Maya smiled, mentally banging her head against a wall as she ambled along next to him, listening with half an ear as her virtues were expounded in stark comparison to the numerous sins of her generation, apparently they all were greedy little hooligans who only cared about inheritances.

Maya nodded and acted affronted at the right times. Offering her condolences and apologies for the terrible manners of her peers. She was pretty sure she was the first person this guy had ever had a chance to vent to about the total jerks that were his grand kids.

So when they'd arrived at his small apartment on the east side of Konoha and the little old man asked

if she'd mind stopping by this son's house to pick up the tea set he loaned them, how could she possibly in good conscious say no? I mean the old guy was clearly dealing with some major familial issues.

Maya had a problem. A disturbingly difficult to handle problem. All she had to do was say no. Smile, apologize and bring up the fact that she had school and was LATE . But _noooo_ she had to go and agree to run some freaking stranger's errands when she should be in class being placed with Neji on the most kick-butt genin team ever. Seriously, what was her life. Today was a total disaster.

She'd woken up to a frizzball of doom and no anti-frizz in sight. The nearest convenience store had decided to be decidedly inconvenient, so she'd been forced to run across Konoha to the only other place that carried "Dynamite Defrizz". It's not like she could go to school with her hair looking like she stuck a kunai in a light socket. _Neji_ would see her. So then she'd been late.

Then Maya had misplaced her hitai-ate. So she'd been slightly more late.

Then of course she had to find it on her moronic older brother's forehead. "I thought it was mine" her foot. There was no way even that dweeb could mistake his dented hunk of metal for her shiny new hitai-ate. Especially considering hers was a bandana while his was a freaking belt. This of course had made her very late.

Playing errand girl for mister family issues had pushed her into extremely late. But she could still salvage this all she had to do was head straight to class after giving the man his blasted pink and gold tea set.

"Here's your tea stuff sir. Do you need help with anything else,"

Why did she say that. Why in the fourth Hokage's name would she say that. It was-

"No, thank you so much for the help though. You so rarely meet young people who are willing to…."

Maya zoned out the rest of his heartfelt thanks "It's no problem really. Happy to help," She chirped while slowly edging away. She had to escape before he-

"Wait,"

Drat.

"Would you like some tea?"

"I'm allergic," Maya squeaked, edging farther away.

"While I have-"

"Um… sorry I have to um… go to … um the gym...yeah I'm meeting my dad…. At the gym…. Because he...um... works out a lot," Her dad was an asthmatic man with a pot-belly the size of a cat and Maya drank like a gallon of tea a day but she really really had to get out of here before she somehow volunteered herself to do something else. "So um...bYE!" she rushed, sprinting away once more headed towards her destiny.

Maya's sandals squeaked like crazed rodents as she slid across the deserted academy hallway. She could make it. She would get to class before they announced their teams.

Maya slammed open the classroom door, excuses ready on her lips, to an empty classroom-Nearly empty she corrected herself. In the back two other students were sitting looking bored out of their minds and resigned to her badly timed entrance and to her right stood a man with silver hair and a mask.

"It's totally not my fault," She proclaimed.


	3. Team Two

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto these characters would not be OCs…

Chapter 2: Team Two

Kakashi arrived to meet team two exactly four hours after the Hokage told him to and as he studied the runts in front of him he only had one thing say.

"My first impression is….aren't there supposed to be more of you?" Kakashi asked raising his visible eyebrow as he continued to survey the new batch of brats the Hokage was trying to push on him. There were only two of them. One was pale, her light frost blue hair barely brushed her shoulders and though most of her bangs were held back by a simple pink hair clip a segment had escaped and was now acting like a shield between him and her bashful purple eyes. She, Zori Hisakawa according to the files (second to last in the class no notable skills), clearly wanted to hide.

The other was tall with long black hair and cold flint colored eyes which were currently narrowed at him.

"Aren't Jounin supposed to be smarter?" The taller and apparently snarkier brat countered. Raising her own eyebrow in return. Kimiko Mochizuki if the files were to be believed. The Uchiha-esque looks and the laid back attire matched the photo. 7th in her class. Good at genjutsu but in general an average student. She wasn't a threat.

"Hnn, " Kakashi replied noncommittally. "So what did you do to teammate number three," He asked. It was unusual for a kid to just _leave_ before he got there. Even if he was a little late.

"She's…" Zori's face redden. "Well Maya's….." The girl bite her lip as she tried to come up with an accurate way to explain her new teammate.

The door crashed open before Zori had a chance.

In the doorway stood who Kakashi could only assume was Maya Yoshida. She looked...shorter than in the photo. She was by far the shortest of the brats on team two, likely her whole class and probably the whole year below them. She also looked like she had just sprinted across Konoha. Had she gone out for lunch or something? Seriously, he hadn't taken _that_ long.

"It's totally not my fault," She exclaimed. She wore a bandana style hitai-ate and her spiked brown hair poked out at the edges. Her hair went a few inches past her ears and wasn't exceptionally remarkable aside from the disarray caused by her journey. The files hadn't said much about her at all. Her parents owned a successful dango stand. She struggled with chakra control. Again basically average.

"I SWEAR I meant to be on time but there was this old guy and-"

Kakashi couldn't believe it he honestly couldn't believe it.

"He had these groceries and-,"

"You're late?" Kakashi asked. Hoping she'd say no and start laughing. Academy students liked juvenile pranks like that right? One of the chunin probably put her up to this.

"Just a little," Maya admitted rubbing the back of her neck. "Umm...Kimiko? Zori? Either of you remember who my sensei is? Or what he looks like? Or my team number? Or Neji's team number? I'll totally owe you one,"

Kakashi had to physically stop himself from facepalming. Somewhere fate was laughing.

"Kakashi Hatake. Like a moron. Two. Three. And don't bother," Kimiko replied quickly with a nonplused expression.

Kakashi was about to respond with something cutting and witty before Zori interrupted him.

"We're your team," She explained, again biting her lip in nervousness. It was a bad habit Kakashi was glad he didn't have to stick around to fix.

"Oh, really? Cool!" Maya exclaimed plopping down in the seat next to Zori. "Thanks for waiting for me,"

Kakashi could almost feel himself sweat drop.

He decided against making the potential genin race to the roof like he normally did, it wouldn't really serve any purpose at this point. Instead, Kakashi sat on top of a desk across from his three newest potential students. "So tell me about yourselves," He gestured towards Kimiko to start.

"Kimiko Mochizuki. Only child. I like cats and genjutsu. I dislike morons who think they're smart just because they're in charge and people who judge others based on their circumstances," at this her eyes darkened "or their family. I think grudges are almost as idiotic as that mask you're wearing and I plan to become an ANBU captain before I'm nineteen," Kimiko declared.

Impressive goal. Kakashi wondered if she had any idea what it entailed. Any inkling of the bloody horror of ANBU life.

Maya introduced herself next with a little wave. "Maya Yoshida. I hate yellow and that sound chalk makes when you break it. I like seaweed and yogurt but not together because that would be weird," She paused considering what else she should say. "Um….I eat a lot of dango and sometimes I help out in my parents shop and I sorta have a problem with being late" at this Kimiko snorted while Zori forced herself to remain polite and not laugh "BUT I'M totally getting better about it and my goal in life is to become the most kick-butt ninja ever and marry Neji,"

Marry….who? Kakashi shook his head. Why were girls so weird?

"Ano...I'm Zori Hisakawa. I like fish and..ano...teriyaki. I'm not a big fan of crowds or ramen. I'm not really good at any jutsu but I've done pretty well on the survival stuff we've done in class" She bite her lip "I not giving up though. I'm going to make chunin," Her cheeks turned a bit pink as she declared her dream as if expecting ridicule.

"Realistic," Kakashi stated. Glad that for once no one was declaring that _they_ would be the next hokage.

For some reason Zori's face turned even more red as he said this. Oh well.

"So, I've got places to be. Meet me tomorrow in training ground three at 2:30 AM for survival training and don't bother to eat breakfast you'll just puke," Kakashi stole one last glance at their little confused faces before shunshining away. He had a book to read after all.


	4. Off we go

Chapter 3: Off we go

 **Part I**

Zori studied herself in the reflective gleam of her father's hitai-ate, trying to make her delicate features appear strong and fierce as they walked through the deserted one AM streets. Maybe if she looked determined she'd feel less terrified.

"I'm really proud of you. You know that right?" Her dad asked running his hand through his hair. It was the same pale blue shade as his daughter's. They looked a lot alike, Zori and Kurou Hisakawa. Though his once delicate features were now dissected by a jagged scar stretching from the missing chunk of right his earlobe to his left temple, a souvenir from being a skilless genin in the 3rd Shinobi war.

He told Zori once that it was his lucky scar. But his smile had broken at the words. Zori knew that no matter how lucky it may have been it had never been quite lucky enough. There were reasons they visited the memorial stone every month.

"I know dad," Zori whispered, her arms tightening around the bag she had prepared for the day's survival training. She could do this, she'd passed the genin test after all. Kakashi-sensei would train them and he said her making chunin was realistic. Sensei believed in her. Her dad believed in her. She could do this.

"Even if today doesn't go well," He reminded pulling his daughter to his side for a hug without breaking the pace the two had set.

"I know," Zori nodded pulling away from the one armed hug. "I'm just a bit scared," She admitted.

"About what?" He asked.

"What if sensei decides he hates me?" She asked. He hadn't seemed excited about teaching them. What if he decided she wasn't worth the effort?

"Or if Maya and Kimiko don't like me," She continued her voice getting quieter with every word. None of them had been friends before this after all.

"Or if they send me back to the academy because I'm too stupid to learn any new jutsu?" Zori was mumbling almost silently now her eyes focused on the dirt road beneath her sandals.

"Well first of all _only_ an idiot would hate you and from what I remember Hatake is supposed to be pretty darn smart,"

"You know sensei?" Zori asked surprised.

"Yeah, we made genin around the same time,"

"Really? What was he like?" Zori questioned looking at her dad with star filled eyes. Her _dad_ knew Kakashi? Most people her dad knew were well...not _lame_ … just...a bit boring. Her dad's friends were mostly other older genin from the records halls with a few civilians tossed in for variety, they were nothing like her new sensei, Kakashi was the literal embodiment of cool.

"Well….he was like five so I didn't really talk to him all that much," Kurou sheepishly admitted.

"Oh," Zori sighed trying not to sound too disappointed. Of course her dad didn't _actually_ know him.

"But...umm… from what I can remember he was kind of a brat," Kurou rushed trying to fix his daughter's now crestfallen face.

Zori's face fell even farther. Sensei, a brat?

"But he was like super good at everything and the fourth was his sensei and I think he ended up in ANBU or something at one point," Kurou continued frantically trying to verbally backpedal away from the heart crushing disappointment on his daughter's face.

"ANBU?" Zori asked, once more excited. Sensei was sooooo cool.

"Yeah…." Kurou trailed off. Zori was too busy fantasising about Kakashi to notice.

"Dad?" Zori asked suddenly struck with a thought. She was going to become a ninja. A kunoichi of Konoha. Sensei would help and her team would be there but- "How do you become a good ninja?"

"Work hard but never so hard you forget what you're working for," He answered, nodding to himself about the poetic nature of his reply. Dad did that a lot but this time his eyes looked like they wanted to say more but he just sighed instead "Also talk to your sensei about meeting this early in the morning. It's ridiculous,"

Zori giggled the _something else_ forgotten for the moment "And _you're_ going to work weren't you going to talk to them about _that?"_

"According to my boss I look too much like a ghost not to have graveyard shift,"

Zori lost control of her laughter, it wasn't mere giggles anymore. Zori was hunched over, gasping for breath. Dad, a ghost? Her head was filled with the image of her transparent father filing mission reports at his desk suddenly looking up and saying in a deadpan voice "Paperwork. It kills"

Kurou groaned "It's really not that funny,"

"Yes- it-it- is," Zori gasped between laughs.

"If you say so…."

 **Part II**

Kimiko _knew_ Sensei would be late. The problem was she didn't know _how_ late. Three seconds and twelve hours were both still on the table. Which meant she had to be at training ground three at o'dark thirty just in case Kakashi actually showed up on time. Even if there was no way Yoshida would show up before dawn and Kakashi showed every sign of being just as bad as Maya. Stupid habitually late comrades.

Kimiko sighed "Could be worse," she recited into the deserted streets.

It was a sucky life motto. But, hey it kept things in perspective and it lacked the idiocy of sayings like "If you believe you can achieve" or "the only thing to fear is fear itself". It was also less morbid than her mom's personal motto of "Everybody dies."

Whoever said civilians didn't understand the harsher truths in life had never met Akira Mochizuki. Her mom was epic. No matter what the idiots might say. Kimiko's hands clenched just thinking about them. Morons. She preferred Konoha like this. Empty. Deserted. There were no whispers to ignore when everyone was asleep.

Crap, depressing thoughts. Kimiko unclenched her fists. No point in angsting, life could be worse. She could actually believe those morons.

"I-" Kimiko sighed resolution settling into her features. "Don't need to prove anything," She finished, stuffing her hands deeper into two of the dozen pockets lining her pewter grey jacket.

She wasn't becoming a ninja for them. Not really. Sure the giant F-you of being a successful shinobi would be nice but Kimiko's career choices came down to one thing in the end, the promise of a sizeable paycheck. That and it was a legal outlet for her more violent tendencies. The ANBU captain thing was no more complicated. She had become _something_ and a faceless murder queen was as good a goal as any. After everything her mom had sacrificed, she owed her that much. Akira Mochizuki deserved to see her daughter succeed in life.

"Seriously, I need to stop with this whole dwelling thing,"

She blamed the bleak ambiance of this hour it just spawned the type of deep introspection that lead to stupid bouts of angst.

"Maybe Sensei pointless-mask will teach us something actually useful," She distracted herself with the reminder. The academy had been great but you could only do so much with Kawarimi, henge, and seduction techniques. A few new genjutsu would really help her arsenal.

"Though if yesterday's any indication that's not gonna' happen," She countered her own suggestion.

"But the moron is a jounin,"

"On one hand, jounin. Other hand, he showed up almost as late as _Maya_ then _left_ after five minutes without introducing himself not exactly confidence inspiring,"

"And...I really need to stop talking to myself," She concluded as an ANBU squad flashed over the rooftops.

Kimiko shut up and let the silence once again envelope Konoha uninterrupted. Her arms hung relaxed from her pockets and her hitai-ate hung gleaming from her neck. She walked through Konoha like she owned the empty streets. A small smile flickered across her normally apathetic features. The silence though eerie was pleasant. It was nice for once not to hear the words "that slut's bastard child" echoing behind her.

 **Part III**

Maya was totally going to be on time for training today. She just had something more important to do first. The bush wasn't the best vantage point and it's tiny twig like branches kept jabbing her in the arm but it was by far the best place to avoid Hyuuga detection. It was situated perfectly close to a ditch (her exit route in case he looked like Neji planned to activated the sexiness which was the byakugan) and near enough to the hot spring that she had a valid excuse if the unthinkable happened and she was caught.

Unfortunately, she couldn't get too close. Hyuuga's were annoying that way but in the art of stalking sometimes you had to give things up. She'd learned that the hard way.

She could still remember the first time she been caught. Maya had been six and convinced the Hyuuga holding her up be the hood of her jacket was about to kill her. The older man had instead laughed, criticized her garden wall perch, and given her advice on how to more effectively stalk her crush. Hyuuga's were awesome.

Maya readjusted the focus on her binoculars and zoomed in on the small group in training ground nine.

Tenten was there. Staring at Neji across the moonlit training ground.

Why did the universe hate her so much? That supposed to be her! Neji was Maya's soulmate not Tenten's. She'd have to make chunin ASAP so she could request Neji for missions before he fell for Tenten due to sheer proximity. Luckily, Tenten was not actively trying to steal Neji's heart. Tenten tastes were much less refined than Maya's own.

Next, she surveyed her future husband's sensei to see how he compared to her own mask-wearing teacher.

Neji's sensei looked like the offspring of a hyperactive frog with fake mustaches glued to his eyebrows. Technically green was a good color for camouflage. And Maya supposed the spandex might make him more aerodynamic. But Maya was unbelievably grateful that her own Sensei at least looked cool. Maya focused her binoculars on his grinning face so she could read his lips. There was no need.

"MY YOUTHFUL STUDENTS WE HAVE AN HOUR BEFORE THE GLORIOUS SUN SHINES ITS YOUTHFUL RAYS DOWN UPON US!"

Wait? Was he talking about sunrise? But that meant it was almost 6 AM. Shoooooot! She had only meant to watch them for an hour. Now she was late! Again! Her sensei must hate her. Team 2 had probably already finished their training by now! She had to hurry. Maya stood to leave but-Wait, was Neji doing chin-ups?


	5. Again with The Waiting

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. I am writing this purely for fun :)  
_

 _ **Author's note:** Thank you everyone who has reviewed so far. I love hearing what you guys think. This chapter doesn't have much Kakashi but he'll be the major star next time_.

 ** _Chapter 4: Again with The Waiting_**

 **2:40 AM**

No sensei.

No Maya.

No tell-tell glint of ninja wire indicating an elaborate trap.

"Well this is lame," Kimiko muttered tilting her head back to look at the stars. She had been hoping for something a tad more threatening to kick-start their training. The whole training ground being rigged with traps for example. Or an ambush. Or anything remotely interesting at all. She desperately hoped Kakashi was just waiting for them to let their guard down. The jerk could be watching from the trees and cataloging their weaknesses right now. The moment Maya arrived, kunai would start flying. The boredom and monotony would be replaced in an instant with blood and adrenaline. The endless waiting would be worth it.

Who was she kidding. Yesterday wasn't a fluke. First day training a new genin team or not. The man would probably show up at noon (again) and tell them to do 10 laps around Konoha. Jerk. Couldn't he see that the best way to check their current skill levels was with a slew of traps with a side of attempted murder right off the bat. Not leaving them to twiddle their thumbs for hours on end.

It's only been ten minutes Kimiko reminded herself. No need to get worked up about it. Even if he did waste four hours of your life yesterday. It could be worse. She could be on a team with that fate-obsessed imbecile Maya was in love with.

"I'm sure it will be more exciting once Sensei arrives" Zori meekly reminded her. The other girl had begun nervously resorting her equipment almost five minutes ago. Kimiko personally thought the girl was a bit over prepared. But if Zori though she needed various poison antidotes, chakra pills, burn salve, and who knows what else for a day long training, that was her business.

Kimiko snorted. "If the mask-wearing-weirdo shows up,"

 **5:00 AM**

They had been waiting for hours. Zori knew Kakashi-sensei was training them to be more patient. Her father said that more missions hinged on your ability to wait than on physical fitness. It was an important skill. Zori knew this. She couldn't help but be a little bored though. She tried not to resist the urge to fidget and resort her bag once again. Kimiko had started to comment after the fifth foray into nervous reorganization after all. Zori didn't want to annoy the already agitated girl. Zori snuck a glance at Kimiko, who had taken to sharpening every weapon she owned to kill the time.

"What's your favorite jutsu?" Zori asked attempting to break the oppressive silence that kept sneaking into the clearing.

Kimiko shrugged "All the academy ones are pretty lame,"

"I like hedge," Zori stated, fumbling for something else to say to keep the silence at bay. "I think it's useful,"

"As useful as academy jutsu get," Kimiko shrugged.

Zori didn't know how to respond to that. Zori desperately wanted to be Kimiko's friend but, all her attempts at conversation seemed to fall flat. Zori really wasn't good at this sort of thing. Not for the first time in the last two hours, Zori wished Maya was there. Awkward silences never lasted long around their exuberant peer.

"Are there any jutsu you want to learn?" She questioned desperate to keep the conversation alive.

 **6:00 AM**

"This is ridiculous," Kimiko announced. The pile of kunai she'd spent the last hour sharpening scattered as she stood. "If the moron shows up before I get back, flip him off for me will you," Kimiko requested as she stalked out the training ground.

"Bu- but," Zori stuttered trying to call her teammate back. Zori tried no to panic as she waited alone for her teammate to return. How could Kimiko just leave? Why did Kimiko leave? Had she done something to upset her? Zori could feel her heart starting to pound as she considered all the possibilities.

When Sensei arrived and no one was here, he would be upset. He'd probably refuse to train them at all. Zori gnawed on her lower lip. It was important for ninja to follow orders even if they didn't completely understand them. Sensei would be justified in reprimanding Kimiko if he arrived before she got back. As would Maya be justifiably punished for her extreme tardiness. Zori should have done something to stop them. Zori just wanted them all to get along.

Zori's self-blame and anxiety were interrupted twenty minutes later by a the return of her smirking comrade.

"Miss me?" Kimiko asked, emerging from the woods with a bag full of junk food and the newest edition of _Konoha Fair_. Zori let out a sigh of relief. Sensei had not arrived during the absence. Zori thought about saying something about sticking together or the importance of following Kakashi-sensei's directions but her stomach chose that exact moment to let out a hungry gurgle.

"Pocky?" Kimiko offered, holding up a box of strawberry pocky.

"Ano... Sensei said not to eat," Zori protested.

Kimiko raised an amused eyebrow as Zori's stomach once again growled.

Zori bit her lip as she looked down at the treacherous organ "Really, I'm- I'm fine but thank you for offering"

 **7:30 AM**

"I'm-here," Maya pantted, skidding into the training ground at half past 7. Kimiko and Zori were sitting at the base of a tree. Kimiko slouched against the trunk with her nose in a magazine while Zori sat a few feet away surrounded by an assortment of loose equipment.

"Sensei isn't," Kimiko stated not looking up from her article.

"Wait. What?" Maya asked, scanning the clearing and surrounding forest again trying to locate sensei-whatever-his-name-was. There was no sign of him.

"Shoot," She exclaimed. She missed the whole survival training! Maybe she could convince their sensei that it was all a purposeful battle strategy. The enemy can't kill you if your not there and all that.

"So how was training?" Maya asked, wincing a bit as the reality of actually missing her first official training as a genin hit home. Curse Neji and his distractingly good looks. This was so not how she wanted to start her kick-butt ninja career.

"He's late," Zori explained as Kimiko rolled her eyes. It took Maya a moment to process Zori's words.

"Late?" Maya asked as her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. That didn't make sense. She was late. No one could possibly be later than her. It just didn't happen. Maya Yoshida was _always_ the last person to show up. There was _no way_ sensei couldn't be here yet. It was impossible. Yet, no one would lie about something like that. Which meant-

"I beat him HERE!" Maya declared, grinning madly. "I'm on time!" This was the moment she had been waiting for. Finally, someone who was worse than her with time management. She'd never get in trouble for being late again!

"Yeah, 5 and a half hours after the assigned time. You're the picture of punctual " Kimiko drawled, turning the page.

"I'm glad you made it," Zori said.

"Me too! So do we just sit here until Sensei comes?" Maya asked cheerfully plopping down on the ground next to Zori. This was first time she could remember actually having to wait for a teacher. Normally, she just bursted in during the middle of their lectures or their lunch break if it was a particularly late day. But today she was (theoretically) on time and she couldn't be happier.

 _ **8:00 AM**_

"I'm bored," Maya declared. "This whole being on time thing sucks!"

"Welcome to the club," Kimiko stated, annoyance clear in her tone. Her magazine now lay discarded by her side, the articles long since read and reread.

"I'm sure sensei will be here soon," Zori quietly soothed. "Waiting is part of the training,"

Kimiko snorted in disagreement "And I'm the Kazekage,"

"He- he's a prodigy and was ANBU," Zori defended recalling what her father had said "I'm- sure he has a reason for being late,"

Maya privately though it was because being on time was clearly the most overrated thing since fat-free yogurt. She kept that to herself though.

"Yeah, It's called being a lazy ass," Kimiko bluntly remarked.

"Sensei i-isn't lazy!" Zori protested. Maya was surprised. This was the first time she could recall Zori ever raising her voice. She was clearly flustered by Kimiko's lack of respect. Zori had always been polite and courteous to their teachers in the academy. Kimiko on the other hand had once made a substitute teacher cry.

"Then I guess he just doesn't care," Kimiko stated, her tone sharp and bitter.

Zori looked down, biting her lip. "I- mean he's our sensei. He- he has to know what he's doing," She didn't look met their eyes, afraid finding rejection her teammates' gazes.

Kimiko looked away from the dejected girl. For a moment Maya thought she might have seen something like guilt in Kimiko's eyes but when Maya blinked it was gone. There was nothing but stoic indifference as Kimiko once again began flipping through the pages of her magazine.

Maya was so not a fan of this being on time thing.

 **9:30 AM**

The granola bar glimmered like chocolate drizzled gold in the morning light. Temptation given a physical form. Like the amorbrisa of the gods. Like water in the middle of the desert. Everything Maya had ever wanted embodied in a chocolate covered mixture of nuts, raisins, and happiness.

"Are you going to eat that or not?" Kimiko asked with her patented raised eyebrow. Maya continued to stare at the bar of nutty goodness in her hand in deep concentration. Seemingly oblivious to Kimiko's teasing. Maya had pulled the treat from her pocket almost three minutes ago and hadn't stopped staring since.

To eat or not to eat that was the question.

"Sensei told us not to," Zori quitely reminded Maya, like a cartoon angel determine to direct Maya in the ways of righteousness from a shoulder perch. Despite Zori's advice Maya's eyes remained solely focused on the delicious morsel in front of her.

"Sensei will never know," Kimiko reasoned. If Zori was an angel that meant the dark haired girl was the devil sitting on her opposite shoulder tempting her to do what she knew was wrong. Maya realized she probably should listen to the more angelic voice. But she was so hungry. She'd been up for hours with no breakfast per Sensei's orders. It was late enough now to be more of a "brunch" or "mid-morning snack" anyway, right. So technically she wasn't breaking any rules.

With that final thought, Maya stuffed the whole bar into her mouth like a chipmunk.

"Maya," Zori reprimanded. Disappointment dripped from those two syllables.

"MmmphmI'mhungryandit's Notbreakfast?" Maya mumbled through the crumbs.

Both of her teammates looked at her in disbelief. Zori at Maya's flimsy excuse. Kimiko in amazement that not only could Maya fit a whole granola bar in her mouth but could still talk with it in there.

 **10:00 AM**

"What'cha doing?" Maya asked Zori growing bored of walking in circles around the training ground.

"I've been going through my survival kit," Zori confessed as if embarrassed by the admission. Maya couldn't imagine why she'd be embarrassed. The other girl seemed prepared for any scenario. She had everything ranged from ninja wire to antibiotics.

"Cool," Maya said peering closer at the collection of items. Was that a portable water filter? Maya suddenly felt woefully unprepared. This morning, Maya had felt pretty good stuffing twelve dozen explosive tags and three granola bars into her pockets. But now, she was seriously reconsidering her decision. Maybe she should have grabbed some bandages in her raid of her brother's private stash.

"So what do you think this whole "survival training" thing actually is?" Maya asked cautiously. It couldn't be something a few dozen explosives couldn't take care of, right?

"To see if we can survive the dangers of boredom," Kimiko quipped.

"Ano, most survival trainings in the academy were based around navigating in unfamiliar territory to a destination. That's why I brought all this," Zori explained, gesturing towards her survival kit.

"Neji's sensei was mostly just beating them up and screaming _let the vigors of training stroke the glorious flames of your youth,"_ Maya quoted recalling her recent recon. "That and making them do an insane amount of push-ups" Maya grinned recalling Neji's sweaty workout routine. "But your version makes a lot more sense,"

"But what if we do have to fight him," Zori wondered. The girl deflated a bit with the realization that all her prep could be in vain.

"Then we win!" Maya declared. _And I don't feel like an idiot for only packing explosives_ she silently added.

"He's a jounin," Kimiko pointed out. "There's no way any freshly graduated genin can beat him no matter how much of a moron he is,"

"Then we work together," Maya decided.

"Jounin," Kimiko repeated.

Maya ignored her. "I'll go for his legs with explosives. You'll -" she pointed at Zori "Go at his head with sharp pointy things," she surveyed at the gathered equipment "and set up traps for me to lure him into. Kimiko will-" Maya paused to think of Kimiko's role in the master plan. "She'll use genjutsu to distract him and cover for us,"

"And you think this will work because…" Kimiko asked.

"He only has one eye so his depth perception must stink," Maya reasoned "There is a place by the river were we could...,"

 **11:00 AM**

Kakashi silently entered training ground three and chose a perch to overlook the team. They all looked decidedly bored. Yoshida paced, Hisakawa fiddled with ninja wire, and Mochizuki flipped through the pages of some girly magazine. They were clearly sick of waiting. Kakashi knew his fellow jounin would criticize him for showing up so late. Kakashi's tardiness served an important purpose however. These last eight hours had been a chance for team two to grow closer or (as was far more often the case) drive each other away. Teams were not made solely on the battlefield after all. Often it is the moments between missions that breaks or makes a team.

Kakashi settled down to watch wondering how long it would take this particular team to break.

 _ **Note:** Kakashi doesn't have a lot of confidence in our girls right now (don't worry that will change). Because this story does center around Maya, Kimiko, and Zori (who are OCs) I'd really appreciate any feedback about what you think about them as characters (or just feedback in general I'm not picky :)_


	6. Testing, Testing 123

****Author's note:**** So so sorry for the ridiculously long wait. I honestly forgot about this story but it's really fun to write so I'm back. Seriously guys life went a little crazy but there's nothing like a pandemic to give you time to sit down and write. I'll try to update at least once a month moving forward but I can't make any promises (I do want to graduate after all). So without further ado...here is chapter 5.

 **Chapter 5: Testing, Testing 1..2..3**

"You fail,"

Maya stared.

Zori gasped.

And Kimiko ignored them as she continued to tear their sensei apart "As a ninja, as a teacher, as a human being you fail. You're literally responsible for our lives and progression as ninja and you can't be bothered to show until noon. When we're all slaughtered on our first mission I wonder how long our corpses will haunt your dreams, Hakate."

The jounin in question was impressed. Not many people could make his name sound that vile with only their tone of voice. If he was actually planning to train these brats he might have felt more than mild discomfort.

"Kimiko!" Zori hissed, her face bright red. Zori seemed more at ease around the dark haired girl than the day before. She hadn't flinched until Kimiko mentioned dead bodies.

"Yeah Miko, there was a black cat. What else was he supposed to do!" Maya defended their sensei. Much to the jounin's confusion.

"Ten hours," Kimiko hissed back. Rage simmering in every word. A far more logical response as far as Kakashi was concerned.

"It happens," Maya put both hands up as if trying to calm a feral animal. "Look at his hair! It probably took ages to style. Plus, this training ground is crazy hard to find,"

"I'm sure it's part of the training," Zori quietly added.

Kakashi ignored the ensuing swabble. The brats were fighting each other and the test hadn't even started. Looks like he'd be done with this before his favorite lunch special was over.

"So," Kakashi interrupted. He was surprised that they all promptly shut up and looked at him. At least they had that going for them. He watched their faces as he divulged that they were not yet genin and the rules of his test.

"Fail to get a bell and you go straight back to the academy"

Kimiko eyed the two bells with contempt and carefully surveyed her teammates.

Zori looked scared but nodded a spark of determination growing in her eyes.

Maya grinned, gave a thumbs up to both of her teammates, and kamikaze tackled Kakashi's legs with a handful of explosive tags.

They worked well together.

Kimiko covered her teammate's movements with genjutsu. Disguising the kunia Zori hurled at his face among her illusions, using her jutsu and her own kunia to hide the times when Zori slipped away to set up traps, along with concealing just how many explosive tags Maya tossed around.

Zori rigged the battlefield in their favor. Her traps were decent, quickly assembled, and strategically designed to protect the genjutsu user and to take full advantage of the height difference between him and explosive happy Maya.

Maya continued to dog his every step with explosive tags and a dizzying amount of kamiwarps in a valiant attempt to drive him into Zori's traps and knives while keeping him away from her teammates.

Honestly, Kakashi was impressed. Zori's aim sucked, Maya's movement's were clumsy, and Kimiko fell apart the moment anything became close range. But they were working together. Which…. was new.

"You realize only two of you can pass," Kakashi reminded them, casually leaning back to dodge the newest batch of kunia (2 real 3 illustions).

"You realize you're an idiot," Kimiko's clone retorted, the sound slightly out of sync with the illusion. Maya used this as a distraction to plaster an explosive tag to Kakashi's back before kamiwarping out of the way of Zori's newest round of kunai. Kakashi tossed Maya's tag towards Kimiko's latest hiding place as he stepped away from the blades.

"I mean. It's cute that you're trying to work together but that's not going to change anything," Kakashi goaded them. The three had already demonstrated remarkable teamwork. There had been no warning, no words exchanged, and yet the three fought together working around each other's weaknesses. They weren't close friends. So why risk their chance to be a genin by working together?

"We are cute!" Maya said dropping from above with yet more explosive tags. Kakashi side-stepped causing Maya to slam into the ground. Kakashi winced in sympathy, that was going to leave a nasty bruise.

He gave the girl a moment to recover and focused on her blue haired teammate instead. Zori was nervous. Her comfortable zone was clearly giving support and setting up traps behind the scenes.

"We can't defeat you separately," Zori admitted. Kakashi threw a punch towards her side. She dodged to the left, failing to take advantage of the opening he left in his guard.

Zori wasn't as bad at taijutsu as her file indicated. Her form was good. Her instincts decent, her eyes consistently flicked towards the openings he purposefully left. Her downfall was her lack of confidence. The kid didn't believe she could land a blow so she never even tried.

"Ma you're not doing so well together either." Kakashi causally swept Zori's feet out from under her. Unfortunately, Kakashi had been forced to tuck his precious book from the rampant explosions but, he still managed to project a feeling of complete indifference towards the fight.

Oddly enough it didn't annoy Zori and the others as much as he expected.

Zori scrambled back to her feet and reached for a kunia only to come up empty. She'd already used all hers to earlier in the battle. Zori's cheeks burned red as she switched to a taijutsu stance instead.

Her lack of panic was admirable but her inability to hide her embassament could be problematic.

"Gotta keep better track of your things," Kakashi teased, hurling a few of Zori's own kunia towards her head.

"H-Hai sensei!" She squeaked, face bright as a tomato as she ducked out of the way.

Maya, thinking her sensei was distracted, tackled Kakashi's legs and made a grab for the bells. Well, attempted to. The jounin effortlessly dodged out of the way. Causing Maya to crash into Zori. Sending both girls tumbling to the ground.

Kimiko sent several bushin and a hail of shuriken to cover her teammates as they untangled their limbs. Kakashi shussined behind the real Kimiko hidden in the trees.

"Boo." Kakashi deadpanned. The girl slipped but managed to spin around. Shuriken at the ready though they would do little good at this range.

"Do you really need these guys?" Kakashi asked with a raised eyebrow as he tossed Kimiko out of the tree. The girl seemed arrogant and aloof. The sort mind games could easily turn against her teammates.

Kimiko dragged herself to her feet. "Do you really think I'll fall for that?" She hurled her shuriken at Kakashi.

Kakashi dropped back down to the forest floor. Forcing Kimiko into a taijutsu fight. Her technique was standard academy fair but she spent too much of her energy trying to regain her distance.

"Zori! Maya! Get your butts over here," Kimiko yelled. Surprising Kakashi with her willingness to ask for help. Apparently he'd overestimated her prideful streak.

Maya immediately kamiwarped to the left of Kakashi's head and aimed an explosive tag at his face. Zori skidded into the battle a few seconds later. Kimiko tossed the panting girl her pouch of kunia before vanishing back into the trees and raining shuriken down at him. Kakashi was impressed despite himself.

They were all clearly exhausted. Breaths coming out in heavy heaves and arms slightly trembling from the strain. Kimiko's newest attempt at a bushin replacement looked like static. But they weren't giving up.

Maya attacked with another fist full of explosive tags as Zori sliced at the bells with one of Kimiko's kunia.

Maya's attacks were getting progressively sloppier as fatigue took its toll. Maya's solution to this was to increase the amount of explosives she used in each assault. Seriously, who the hell let the girl get her hands on so many of them. They were supposed to limit the amount of weaponry academy students had access to for Kage's sake.

Kimiko rained down a staticy illusion of weaponry to disguise Maya's sporadic kamiwarps and the trail of explosions she left in her quake.

Kakashi grabbed and restrained Maya. As fun as this was, he really should end this before one of the kids ended up in the hospital for chakra exhaustion.

"Let her go, you one-eyed grandpa," Kimiko huffed, dragging herself into the clearing to free her teammate. It was the real Kimiko this time, slightly singed and wielding a half charred stick.

"Do you -you want your kunia back," Zori huffed, too exhausted to reprimand Kimiko for insulting their sensei. As she attempted to close Kakashi in from the opposite angle.

"I'm good," Kimiko assured flippitantly, in an attempt to hide how tired she was. Neither Zori or Kakashi were fooled. Maya was too busy struggling against Kakashi's hold to acknowledge either of her teammates. Kakashi ignored the girl's surprisingly sharp teeth digging into his arm and continued to keep her hands apart to prevent yet another kamiwarp. The midget did not have the chakra to spare and Kakashi prefered to avoid the hospital.

All three of the brats were exhausted, dirty, and determined to take Kakashi down despite his ultimatum that only two could pass.

"I'm bored," Kakashi lied. None of these girls was going to end up tied to a log so it was time to play a bit with tradition to see how far these girls would go for each other. "But I guess I have time to train one of you brats," he mused. "Which of you doesn't want to go back to the academy?"

Two pairs of eyes studied him as Maya's teeth dug deeper into his skin.

"What?" Kimiko huffed. Somehow making the question sound like an insult.

"No one got a bell but since I'm such a generous guy I'll train one of you anyway. You just have to decide who?"

He tossed Maya and a bell at Kimiko.

"I'm out. One of you can stay," Kimiko offered, pushing Maya towards Zori.

"I don't mind going back to the academy," Zori confessed. But her slightly teary eyes and the way she bit her lip betrayed her.

"One of you needs to take the bell! I need you guys to do this!" Maya pleaded.

"Bo-both of you are- are really strong I should go back to the academy," Zori objected fiddling with the hem of her sleeve "I'll go back," she said more firmly, her violet eyes meeting Maya's without fear.

"Shut up. You're not leaving me with this guy. One of you just take the kage blasted bell," Kimiko insisted, acting as if it wasn't a big deal. But, her fingernails were digging into her palm.

"NO!" Maya exclaimed "You don't understand! I need to go back,"

Kakashi and her teammates all stared at the brunette in confusion. Noble sacrifice was one thing but Maya seemed to actually want to go back to the academy.

A bird called out in the distance but the silence in the training ground remained. Kimiko was steeling herself to refuse their charity. Zori was convincing herself that re-entering the academy wouldn't be the end of her ninja career. Maya was just trying to ignore their questioning stares and oppressive silence.

"If I go back to the academy, Neji will be my senpai," Maya finally muttered when no one else broke the silence.

There was a beat of silence then-

"You read way too much shoujo," Kimiko criticized, flicking the bell directly into Maya's forehead as Kakashi laughed and Zori tried to understand what in the world was wrong with them all.

Kakashi quickly composed himself. His amusement was mostly hidden behind his mask though his eyes were twinkling. They were adorable!. A bit eccentric and in desperate need of training but at that moment Kakashi couldn't imagine passing any other team.

"Ma, I guess I can train you all,"


End file.
